


Semantics

by stellarmeadow



Series: October 2012 Prompts [4]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Coda, Episode 3.03, Episode Related, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-16 21:15:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/543890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarmeadow/pseuds/stellarmeadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny wants to know the difference between a "thing" and a "surf buddy."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [azziria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azziria/gifts).



> From this prompt from azziria: Danny wants to know if being surf buddies is the same as having a 'thing'. Thanks for the prompt--it was fascinating to play with!

It's a sad fact of life that a quiet Danny Williams is not necessarily a good thing. Steve knows that people often make that mistake after hearing one of Danny's rants, assuming that quiet would be welcome, but they would be wrong. A ranting Danny is usually a somewhat content Danny, all evidence to the contrary aside. Because Danny likes ranting, and when he's got some minor irritant to rant about it generally means the rest of his life is, by and large, not going too badly.

But a quiet Danny is usually thinking about something that will eventually come out, something important to him that he hasn't gotten fed up enough to voice yet. And with each silence lately, there's a growing chance that it'll be something Steve doesn't want to talk about. His mother. His sister. Him and Catherine.

Him and Danny.

They haven't really talked about that, in particular, and Steve's okay with that. He was almost grateful to their boat jacker yesterday that he'd interrupted the conversation with Danny before that topic could come up. Because there's nothing to talk about. No need to say anything. No need at all.

Most days he actually believes that.

So a silent Danny is bad. A silent Danny in the car not complaining when Steve runs three slightly red lights? That's nuclear fallout bad.

Steve pulls into his driveway, searching for words to break the silence. Experience has taught him that if he chooses the wrong topic, Danny will just get more annoyed. They get out of the car and go inside, the front door banging closed loudly in the surrounding quiet.

As he makes a beeline for the kitchen, Steve can feel Danny right behind him. Steve pulls two beers out of the fridge, popping the tops off with the ridiculous shaka bottle opener Danny had bought and placed in the middle of the fridge as a joke. He hands one beer to Danny and looks at him, waiting.

Danny takes a deep breath, opens his mouth, jaw hanging down for a second before it snaps closed. With a tiny shake of his head, he turns on his heel and walks out of the kitchen.

Steve follows, watching from just inside the living room as Danny stops in front of the coffee table. "Catherine get off to sea okay?" Danny asks, the words sudden and clipped.

Steve nods, not sure where this is going. "She left this morning. A week of drills."

"A week." Danny nods, but his tone is anything but agreeable. "And then she's back?"

"Danny--"

"Because I was just wondering," Danny interrupts, "where does a _thing_ rank against _surf buddies_?"

 _Shit._ "Danny--"

"No, seriously, Steven, I want to know. Is it on the same level?" Danny asks, holding both hands in the air, palms facing down, fingertips of each hand pointing at the other at the same height. "Or is maybe a _thing_ higher on the scale because it's more common?" He lifts his left hand higher, then drops it down for his next comment. "Or is _surf buddies_ higher because it has more words? I'm not sure how these terms are defined in the McGarrett dictionary, so I'm going to need a little clarity here."

He drops his hands and looks at Steve, waiting, but fuck if Steve knows what to say. No, that's not true. He knows what Danny wants to hear. But he can't say it. Not yet. "Danny, I...what do you want me to say?"

It's a total cop out, and Danny's withering look is all it takes to call him on it. "Really, Steve?" He sighs, eyeing Steve for a few seconds before shaking his head. "You know, I'm starting to understand why Rachel hated me so much at the end." He shakes his head again and puts his beer on the table. "Call me if you get your head out of your ass," he adds as he spins round and stalks out of the house, the front door slamming behind him.

Steve sits down carefully on the couch, listening as the Camaro revs to life and squeals its way out of the driveway. He puts his beer on the table next to Danny's, and drops his head into his hands, his elbows digging painfully into his kneecaps.

He's seen this coming since Danny's 'girlfriend' inquisition on the boat yesterday. No, a lot longer, if he's honest. Irony of all ironies that the only one who seems to be able to handle a casual, no-strings, no-relationship relationship is the girl. So much for girls being the clingy ones.

Danny's not the casual type. Steve knew it going in, but he couldn't stop himself. And Danny never asked, never demanded anything. Didn't mean Steve wasn't aware Danny would want it. He just chose to ignore it to get what he wanted instead.

Apparently this is the price.

Cath still hasn't asked. And she won't, he knows that. She's married to the Navy, far more than Steve ever was. It's why they've always worked. She's safe. She's never going to ask for more than he wants to give and she's never going to hurt him, because he's not in love with her.

Danny will ask. Has, just now, just not in so many words. Yet. And Danny hurt him more by walking out two minutes ago than Cath did this morning by leaving for a week with just a peck on his cheek.

He knows what Danny wants. He knows the exact words he'd need to say on the phone. He could pick the phone up right now, call Danny's number, and have Danny back here in under five minutes.

The thought of Danny back here where he belongs warms his heart almost as much as the thought of saying the words freezes it.

It's not that he has a problem giving Cath up. She'll find someone else, they'll still be friends, and very little will change. He knows that, too.

But if he gives her up, he's got nowhere else to hide. With Cath, he's still Steve. Still a separate entity, and no one else can destroy him.

If he chooses only Danny, it'll consume him. He barely knows how to separate himself now. With nowhere left to hide, he'll disappear completely, and if Danny leaves, Steve won't know how to recover.

But Danny's already left. And judging by the empty hole where he knows his heart's supposed to be beating warmly along, Steve thinks it may be too late for him to hide anywhere.

He pulls out his phone and dials.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I'm being attacked by past fics. This one decided it needed more chapters. :) Sorry about that....

Danny doesn't answer on the first try. Or the second, or the third. Of course. It takes ten calls before Danny finally picks up the phone with an angry, "There are laws against harassment, Steve."

"You told me to call," Steve says carefully, "if I got my head out of my ass."

The sound of road noise is the only sign that Danny hasn't hung up on him. "What does that mean?" Danny asks finally.

"Danny...." Steve closes his eyes, one hand supporting his forehead as he slumps over his knees, the other holding the phone to his ear. "I can't do this over the phone," he says at last. He needs Danny there, needs to see him to be able to get the words out. "Can you come back?" Steve asks. "Please?"

"Are you sure you'll be able to do this to my face, Steve?" The anger is still there, Danny's words clipped in a way Steve's sure Danny learned from Rachel during their divorce. "Or are you going to chicken out once I'm standing there staring you in the face?"

"I need to do this face to face," Steve says. "Please?" he adds again when Danny's still silent.

Steve can picture the look on Danny's face from the way Danny breathes out, knows it's not a good look, but Danny finally agrees. "Okay. I'll be there in ten minutes."

He hangs up, and Steve follows suit. Danny couldn't be more than five minutes away, but Steve supposes he deserves the wait for being an idiot. And now he has just a handful of minutes to prepare himself to _not_ be an idiot.

He's trained to stare down a gun without flinching, knows ten ways to disarm the gunman without even thinking. But that's combat and he'd be disarming someone else. That's easy.

Disarming _himself_...that's another story altogether.

He finishes his beer and drinks the one Danny left for good measure, checking his watch frequently. The beers did little more than slightly loosen the painfully tight muscles in his neck, and he gets up and wanders around, rolling his head a little to try to loosen them up.

No use--he's not going to relax until this is over, one way or another.

At Danny's knock, Steve takes a deep breath and crosses the room to pull the door open. Danny stands there, as if he has to be invited in, when normally even knocking is rare for him. Steve steps back, holding the door, but still Danny hesitates. "Can you come in?" Steve asks.

"I don't know, can I?"

Steve holds onto his temper with an iron fist. "Please do," he says, overly polite, venturing into sarcasm, and Danny knows it, but he comes in anyway.

The door closes, sounding louder than usual in the silence as Danny turns and looks expectantly at Steve. "So what do you want?" Danny says after a moment.

 _You._ Steve knows that answer isn't going to cut it, though. It's never been a secret that he wants Danny. Dammit, he knows what he needs to say, why do the words insist on being so hard find? "I'm ending things with Cath," Steve says, the easiest of all the words he needs to get out.

Danny nods, but he doesn't look particularly impressed. "Easy to say when she's out in the middle of the ocean."

"It's true," Steve says. "I can't exactly call her back from drills to say 'hey, we're not sleeping together anymore.' I have to wait until she gets back."

"I appreciate that you're not the type to end your casual fuck buddy relationship via phone, Steve," Danny says flatly. "What do you want from me? Another medal to pin on your uniform?"

"No, I--" Steve presses his lips together, closing his eyes for a moment. "You have to understand," he says slowly, opening his eyes, meeting Danny's gaze, "I'm not...this isn't...I...."

"You're incapable of coherent speech?" Danny folds his arms over his chest, looking less impressed by the second.

Steve growls in frustration, more at himself than anything. "I'm not sure I know how to do this," he says, the words halting, but at least they're words in a sentence. "But I want to try."

"Try what?"

So much for any hope of Danny meeting him halfway. "You and me," Steve says, fists clenched by his side, but the second time it comes easier. "Just you and me."

Danny studies him for a long moment. "I recognize," he says eventually, "that you are...well, you, and that comes with a certain lack of ability to comprehend normal human emotion." Danny takes a breath, blows it out quickly. "So I'm not expecting Shakespeare here, or sonnets, or lengthy declarations, don't get me wrong. But I need you to use your words to answer a question for me--can you do that, Steven?"

Steve nods. "What do you want to know?"

"'Just you and me,'" Danny says, "does that mean no more other 'recreational activities,' no other dates or girlfriends or anything like that? We actually try to be something more than casual? Together?"

Steve nods again. "I haven't...I don't know how to do...that," he says. "But I want to try."

"You think you can?"

"I think so," Steve says, hoping he's right. Because the alternative is losing Danny, and that's the one thing he knows he _can't_ do. "I need...." Steve thinks for a second, then goes with the truth. "I need you," he says. "Whatever I have to do...I'll do it." And he will. He's a SEAL, dammit. Failure is not an option, and he can adapt to survive. And he needs Danny in order to survive, at least on some levels. So he'll adapt.

Danny's still got his arms folded over his chest, still studying Steve like he's under a microscope. "Okay," he says finally.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." A hint of a smile starts on Danny's lips. "I told you I wasn't expecting Shakespeare. I just needed to know that we weren't going to be right back where we were this morning a week from now."

The fist around Steve's heart loosens, and his heart starts beating again. "So we're good?"

"Well, we'll be better when you tell Catherine your playground is closed."

"So do you, I mean...do we have to wait until she gets back to..."

Danny sighs. "That depends."

"On?"

"On whether you feel like you're cheating on her when you're with me."

"Of course not," Steve says quickly. "She and I were never serious or exclusive."

Danny's lips thin. "So you didn't feel like you were cheating on me with you were her, either?"

Steve fights his instinct to protect himself. "Maybe a little," he admits, barely able to meet Danny's eyes. "More on myself than anything, because I wanted...well, more, with you, but I wasn't sure you...."

Not entirely the truth--he was pretty sure Danny wanted more, at least the last couple of weeks. But he wasn't sure enough to risk it.

"Are you sure now?" That hint of a smile is back.

"I am. Are you?"

"I was never unsure," Danny says softly, taking a few steps forward. "I was just waiting for you."


	3. Chapter 3

Steve tenses a little, but the icy grip he's expecting on his stomach doesn't come. Danny's standing there, close enough to smell, to feel his warmth, and he's offering to take a chance, to maybe be there forever, and the word forever has never been in Steve's vocabulary.

He likes the sound of it in his head now, though, a little. He could definitely get used to it, as long as it's associated with Danny. He knows Danny, has seen him on cases, and seen his dedication to Grace. Danny's not going anywhere, not once he's made up his mind.

The thought makes Steve reach out, pulling Danny towards him. Danny comes willingly, his arms settling in around Steve's waist as if they were meant to be there all along. Danny tilts his head up, a small smile on his lips, but he doesn't make any other move, waiting for Steve.

Always waiting for Steve, no matter how much Steve fucks up. He's not going to ruin this, because Danny won't let him. Steve ducks his head, capturing Danny's lips, wrapping his arms around Danny's back until there's no space between them. He can feel the heat of Danny's skin through both their shirts, and Danny's cock pressed against Steve's thigh is stirring up thoughts of all the things they could be doing if they were naked and upstairs.

"Naked," Steve mutters against Danny's mouth.

"What, here?" 

Steve grins at Danny's amused tone, or he would grin if he could manage to let Danny's mouth go long enough. But he can't, just like he can't keep his hands from roaming down to squeeze Danny's perfect ass, then up Danny's back to mess up Danny's hair--a privilege he will never quite get over. 

"Upstairs," Steve manages, trying to walk Danny backwards and still stay plastered to him, kissing him. That works, somewhat, until they get to the stairs. Steve presses Danny back against the banister, frowning as the wood gets in the way of Steve's exploration of Danny's ass. 

He growls as Danny breaks the kiss and pushes him away, and Danny laughs. "I'm not going anywhere," Danny says, grabbing Steve's hand. "Except upstairs. You know, naked, upstairs? Remember that?" 

Steve nods, swallows at the images that brings to mind, and follows Danny up the stairs. The moment they reach the landing, Steve reaches around Danny to start unbuttoning his shirt as they walk into Steve's bedroom. By the time they reach the bed, Steve has Danny's shirt sliding down his shoulders and off. He tosses it aside, pressing his chest against Danny's back as he starts in on Danny's pants, getting them open before he can't resist anymore and has to dip his hand inside to find Danny's cock.

It's hard and hot in his hand, and Steve's not even sure which one of them groans at the touch, but it reverberates through both of them. Steve thrusts against Danny's back, annoyed when he realizes there's fabric between them. He's going to have to let Danny go to get the rest of their clothes off, and he doesn't like it.

Danny turns, already reaching for Steve's shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it aside before Steve can even think about it. Danny's hands are sure and quick on Steve's pants, getting them off, taking Steve's slippers with them, and shoving the whole pile aside.

Danny pauses as he stands, just long enough to lick the tip of Steve's cock, making him hiss and grab Danny's shoulders to keep from falling over. Just that one touch of Danny's tongue and Steve's hands are trembling as he tries to help Danny out of his pants. Danny laughs softly as he bats Steve's hands away, finishing the job himself much faster than they would've together.

Steve takes one long moment to look at Danny, fully naked and all his, and only his. The thought curls deep in his gut, hot and needy, sending tendrils of heat through his body all the way to his fingertips. He craves the feel of Danny's skin, runs his fingers up the sides of Danny's arms and down his torso, smooth skin and soft, thick hair better than the finest silk. 

Fingers resting lightly on Danny's shoulders, Steve meets Danny's eyes, warm and amused. "Are you planning to stand there all night?" Danny asks, dispelling some of the tension threatening to break Steve apart, "or are you planning to do something more than just touch?" 

His voice lowers on the last words, dark with promise, and the tension is back, thrumming through Steve's body, better than adrenaline. He licks his lips and swallows, fingers drifting up Danny's neck to trace his jaw before sliding back down to his shoulders to give him a push. 

Danny goes easily, falling on the bed without missing a step. He grabs Steve's arm as he falls, dragging Steve with him, and they land side by side, Steve's arm at a less than comfortable angle under his body, but he doesn't care. 

He's pressed against Danny's side from collarbone to knees, and the contact is like static electricity, sending little tingling sparks through him at various points where their skin is touching. It makes him curl around Danny, bending to taste Danny's neck, dragging sounds out of him that do nothing to quell Steve's desire to lock him away and never let him leave. 

But then he's not going anywhere, he's said as much, at least not now. The custody battle lurks in the back of Steve's mind, the brief thought of Danny boarding a plane to Las Vegas making him cling to Danny a little harder as he licks at Danny's collar bone. But Danny's refusing to budge on custody, and Steve likes to think, somewhere in his heart, that he's part of the reason Danny's fighting to stay.

Danny pulls away, laughing softly as Steve tries to pull him back in. "Can we at least get on the bed all the way?" Danny says, dragging Steve up until their heads are on the pillow and shoving the bed covers down. He pauses for a long kiss before rolling away, Steve's hand still resting on Danny's waist as Danny reaches into the nightstand beside the bed. 

Steve watches, mouth suddenly dry, as Danny fiddles with the condom packet, tearing it halfway open before Steve puts his hand on Danny's. "Can I..." Steve says, then clears his throat, eyes searching Danny's, "Can I fuck you?"

Danny's eyes go dark, his hand clenching at the condom packet. Because Danny had offered a couple of times, but Steve had said no, he'd rather Danny fuck him. He'd told himself that it was what Danny deserved, since Steve couldn't manage to give him what he knew deep down Danny wanted. He'd been lying to himself though, only just realizing it with the clarity of hindsight and having made his decision. 

He'd known all along, deep down, that once he'd been inside Danny, he'd never be able to let go.

Danny bites at his lip for a second. "You sure?"

"Unless you don't want--I mean, it's not--"

Danny's hand covers Steve's mouth. "I want," Danny says, and there's too much heat in his voice to doubt his sincerity. "Believe me, I want."

Steve smiles against Danny's fingers, moving his head until he can suck the tips of the longest ones into his mouth, drawing a shudder from Danny. Steve takes the condom from Danny's hand and opens it, rolling it onto himself before reaching for the lube Danny dropped onto his stomach. 

Fingers shaking a little as he opens the tube, Steve spills some of it onto his hand and reaches between Danny's legs, trying not to think about how hot it is that Danny's bent both knees and is all but offering his ass to Steve on a silver platter.

He leans down to kiss Danny, as one finger slips into Danny's ass, perfectly tight and wonderful. Danny moans a little into Steve's mouth, hips moving, making his cock brush against Steve's arm, and Steve wants nothing more than to bury himself inside Danny's body, but at the same time there's something about this that he doesn't want to stop.

He slips two fingers in, working Danny longer than probably needed, but the needy sounds and the way Danny's nipping at Steve's mouth are too good to let go quickly. He can't go further without doing so, though, so he raises his head, one corner of his mouth shooting up at Danny's dazed frown. 

"Wha--" Danny asks, but Steve holds up the lube, coating his fingers more thoroughly by way of explanation. He reaches back down, slipping three fingers inside, prolonging the wait so he can watch Danny, hips moving with a fluid grace, his eyes barely open, teeth sinking into his upper lip. 

Unable to watch any longer, Steve pulls his fingers out, Danny's glare giving way to understanding as Steve positions himself between Danny's legs. His hands drift down the backs of Danny's thighs to his ass, pulling him closer until Steve's cock is pressed against Danny's hole. 

Steve watches Danny's face as he pushes inside, a ghost of the fear that had kept him from doing this rearing its head, but he shoves it aside. He's fine, they're fine, and they're going to be fine. 

More than fine, actually. Being inside Danny is a million times better than Steve had imagined. He wants to take up residence and never leave, every fear he had of needing Danny like air if he got this completely justified in the face of what he's feeling.

And yet he can't bring himself to regret it. Because Danny is right there with him, meeting him thrust for thrust, his eyes holding Steve's, his hands gripping at Steve's ass, strength evident in every taut muscle in Danny's body. 

It's okay to lose himself, Steve realizes. Danny will find him.

He lets go, slamming into Danny one last time as he comes. He feels himself moving, knows he collapses on Danny, and can feel Danny's hands up and down his back, all while he drifts in a haze, more peaceful than he'd thought possible. 

Steve finally notices that Danny's thrusting against him a little, short, jerky movements. He's close, Steve can tell from the way he's moving and the sounds he's making. Steve rolls onto his side, propping himself up on his arm and reaching for Danny's cock, wrapping his hand around it and moving hard and fast, the way he knows Danny likes. 

He leans down, capturing Danny's lips, feeling Danny's moans and caught breaths as Danny loses control, spilling over Steve's hand as his mouth sucks Steve's in like oxygen. 

Danny breaks the kiss, turning his head to gulp in air. Steve moves down to Danny's neck, lips tasting the salt and sweat along the corded muscle pulled tight by Danny's turned head. He finds Danny's pulse and presses his lips to it softly before licking his way down to Danny's shoulder.

He wants to do this again, to watch Danny come apart next time, and then again, maybe with Danny on his stomach, or against the wall...so many different things and he wants them all, and he wants them now, before he loses his chance.

Except he's not going to lose his chance. Danny's not going anywhere. Steve believes that Danny believes that, and if there's still a little fear somewhere in his brain that Danny will eventually decide Steve's not worth it, he's not listening to it. Not now. 

He'd rather listen to Danny's breathing as it evens out into sleep, his arms holding Steve close. Steve slides one leg over both of Danny's, pulling the sheet up over them as he settles into Danny's side. Whatever may happen in the distant future is something to worry about another day. 

For now, he's going to sleep, safe in the knowledge that Danny will still be there when he wakes up.

\---  
END

**Author's Note:**

> Want to learn more about me and my writing? Visit my page at <http://www.jamiemeadowswrites.com/>


End file.
